Workshops

Led by Julie Gissing and Robyn Swanson

The first part of this interactive workshop will provide you with a taste of what it is like to listen and to be heard as both biographer and story teller. A short exercise will enable you to have a brief experience of how our clients might receive the gift of having someone to truly hear their story.

The rest of the workshop will be an opportunity for each service to bring their tricky or challenging moments to be workshopped by the wealth of experience in the room, as well as sharing gems and highlights which may benefit others. We all learn so much from each biography we do, so it is inspiring to come together and share the knowledge gained from this profound work.

This workshop would benefit people who have been trained as biography volunteers and are currently working in this area.

About the presenters

Julie has worked with client life stories in a number of settings. With a background in Social Work and Counselling, Julie worked for Local and State Government as well as the not for profit sector and in private practice. After training with Eastern Palliative Care in Melbourne, Julie spent six years as a volunteer biographer in palliative care before becoming a Manager of the Community Palliative Care Biography Service at Sacred Heart in Sydney.

Following a varied career including a degree in editing, Robyn became a biography volunteer at Sacred Heart Hospice in 2009 after training at Eastern Palliative Care in Melbourne. In 2011 she created a business called Story of My Life to help people write their life stories, before becoming a Manager of the Community Palliative Care Biography Service at Sacred Heart in Sydney.

Julie and Robyn developed and managed the biography service at St Vincent’s Hospital for nine years, leaving the service at the end of 2024. During that time they recruited and supported many volunteers to complete over 300 biographies.

Led by Mirna Tarabay

In their vital role, volunteers connect deeply, hearing stories that span joy, reflection, and sometimes, trauma. This workshop introduces the essentials of Trauma-Informed Care, covering:

• Understanding trauma’s effects
• Recognizing its signs
• Responding with sensitivity
• Building safety and trust
• Volunteer self-care strategies
• Resources for ongoing support

You’ll leave with actionable tools to support those impacted by trauma in every interaction, fostering respectful communication and preventing re-traumatisation.

Led by Hilton Koppe

As volunteers we are invited to listen deeply to personal stories. While supporting clients our focus is on them and we have limited scope to express our own personal experience. Not all stories are easy to listen to, and it can be difficult to “unhear what has been heard”. Burnout or compassion fatigue may occur if we do not process our responses to what we experience. 

This light-hearted and fun workshop aims to help transform challenging situations into meaningful experiences. Participants will experience the use of reflective and expressive writing to reframe some of these challenges, and to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a volunteer.

Bring humility, a sense of curiosity, and a pen. Potentially leave with:

• A tool for relieving, rather than re-living, life’s challenges.
• A tool for building compassion.
• Re-ignition of a (perhaps lost) passion for creativity.

Led by Adrina Saroglu

Part 1: Introduction, Grounding, & Expression

• The session will begin by focusing on self-care through creative arts for the volunteer, and introducing accessible techniques that volunteers can use with individuals to help them express their inner world and create connection. 
• Participants will engage in grounding movement sessions designed to centre themselves, create calm, and open both body and mind. The movement session will also help build a sense of community and connection among workshop participants.
• Volunteers will have dedicated time to engage in visual arts journaling, allowing them to reflect, express, and explore their inner world through creative means.

Part 2: Mandala for Mind

Creating mandalas involves repetitive patterns and rhythmic movements that help individuals focus, promote mindfulness, manage anxiety and stress. Mandalas can represent both life and the larger universe, and offer both a therapeutic and symbolic value, with the shapes and colours reflecting one’s inner self.  When volunteers create mandalas with their clients, it not only provides a calming and reflective activity but also offers a shared, meaningful experience.

Part 3: Clay for Calm

Clay activities engage the senses, offering a calming experience for both the individual and volunteer. Shaping clay empowers a person to externalise their inner world. When a volunteer participates in clay making with their client, it can foster a shared, meaningful connection that enhances trust and strengthening of built relationships.